1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a compression dressing for covering a spinal portion of a patient's back.
2. Prior Art
The Strazdas U.S. Pat. No. 3,068,860, issued Dec. 18, 1962, discloses a back plaster for exerting pressure upon the spinal column in the lumbar region and could be used to overlie a dressing applied to a spinal portion of the back following surgery. The plaster is roughly cross shaped and four flaps arranged orthogonally carry adhesive coating which is bonded to the person's body by being pressed in place. The base panel is continuous so that, if the plaster were used to hold a dressing against the patient's back, it would be necessary to strip off the back at least two of the adhesive flaps in order to provide access for changing the dressing. Such procedure can be very painful and can be increasingly painful when it is necessary to repeat the procedure.
The Lee U.S. Pat. No. 1,995,002, issued Mar. 19, 1935, discloses a compression supporting device in the form of a band including oppositely extending flaps having adhesive surfaces that can be pressed against the body to bond them to the body. The adjacent end portions of such flaps do not have adhesive on them and have rows of eyelets along their adjacent edges through which a suitable lacing can extend in crisscross fashion to draw the adjacent end portions of the flaps toward each other until the desired pressure is exerted on the body and the hips are drawn backwardly so as to compress the iliac bones into the sacrum. This device is not intended to hold a compression dressing in place.
The Goswitz U.S. patent No. 3,561,442, issued Feb. 9, 1971 discloses a mastectomy compression bandage including a body band having an elastic section to cover the portion of the chest on which the operation has been performed and a nonelastic section carrying a brassiere cup. The ends of the body band are secured together at the back by hook-and-pile fasteners, and the free end of the shoulder strap is secured to an edge portion of the elastic section by a hook-and-pile fastener. The elastic section is intended to hold a mastectomy dressing in place without the use of adhesive tape. No portion of the body band is intended to be bonded to the body by adhesive. This device would not be suitable for holding a compression bandage to the lumbar portion of the back.
A conventional bandage for holding a dressing against the lumbar portion of the back is known as a MONTGOMERY STRAP. Such MONTOGOMERY STRAP is generally of the type shown in the U.S. Lee patent No. 1,995,002 discussed above, except that the flaps do not have as great a circumferential extent and have a greater extent heightwise of the back. The sheet material is silk cloth. Instead of the adjacent edge portions of the opposite flaps being connected by a continuous lacing in crisscross fashion, the two eyelets of each pair are connected by a single tie so that the row of ties also has a row of knots extending heightwise of the back and substantially overlying the spine of the lumbar region of the back which causes discomfort to the patient lying on the bandage.